The Mystery of MissingNo
by DG
Summary: UPDATE Jessie and James attempt to get Ben's Pokemon, and a special Rocket operative arrives...
1. Default Chapter

The Pokemon league Champion arrived on Cinnabar Island. Returning his Blastoise to its Pokeball, he walked to the lab. He entered the back room, finding only a door. Entering, he saw the scientists.  
"I'm looking for the information I was promised by the Secret Lab scientists. As they've fled, you are responsible. So. Where is it?"  
"I'm afraid, Mr. Champion, sir, that we have no control over what the people at the Secret Lab do, and-"The Champion interrupted by grabbing the scientist by the collar.  
"The Secret Lab was a chain of this very lab. You are to give me my experiment. Now," the Champion growled.  
"You are too late, sir," another scientist said.  
"What?"  
"It escaped during the Secret Lab's destruction. Along with..."  
"Along with one of the Mewtwo. I've already retrieved it. Now. My experiment. Where is it?"  
"We do not know. As Professor Rockwilder said, it was not our experiment. It belonged to those at the Secret Lab," the scientist said. The Champion growled and dropped Rockwilder. He stepped outside.  
"Perhaps I should get the services of someone else," the Champion smiled, looking to the ferry that was pulling in.  
  
Ash, Misty, and Brock got off the ferry.  
"Wow! Cinnabar Island is so beautiful!" Misty said.  
"Forget the beauty! I just wanna get ready for my next gym battle in Viridian City!" Ash cried.  
"Ash, you can really spoil the moment," Misty muttered.  
"Hmm, this is odd," Brock said, as he passed a damaged building.  
"What is it?" Misty asked.  
"I don't know. 'Closed for Repairs.' Hmm, interesting," Brock said.  
"Interesting, isn't it?" someone asked. The gang turned and saw a teen standing near the wall of the building. He looked to be sixteen or seventeen and was around six foot or a little taller. He wore a red shirt with a black bar running across the chest. He had black jeans on and wore blue and silver tennis shoes. He had a red cap twisted around so that the bill was pointed behind him, and his backpack was red and black with an orange Pokeball symbol on it.  
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Brock asked.  
"The name's Ben Oliver. I work with the Cinnabar News Service. A big explosion happened here a few weeks back. Officer Jenny had her hands full trying to investigate, but ultimately had to end the investigation. There was no explanation as to why, so the CNS sent me to check it out," the guy said.  
"I'm Brock," Brock said, extending his hand. Ben just nodded.  
"And your friends?"  
"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet! I'm sure you've heard of me and my victories!" Ash cried. Ben raised an eyebrow, then attempted to act as if he cared about Ash's ego.  
"Sorry, never heard of you," he said. Ash fell to the ground. "But there are a lot of trainers in the world and-"  
"No, no. Let's leave him like that. He's quieter," Misty sighed.  
"And you are?"  
"I'm Misty."  
"You look a little familiar."  
"Well, my sisters are the Cerulean City Gym leaders."  
"That must be it. I, uh, interviewed them a while back," Ben said. A barking came from behind them. "Oh, yeah, here comes my prize Pokemon. He stayed at the news office because of a bulletin my producer was sending me," Ben chuckled. A Growlithe ran up to him with a sheet of paper in his mouth.  
"Let me guess. He's a newshound?" Brock asked.  
"I knew that pun was coming," Ben muttered with a wince. "Growlithe was the first Pokemon I ever got. He was a gift from my parents. I don't know what I'd do without him."  
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, his ears perking. Growlithe walked over to him and sniffed at him. Pikachu's cheeks started to crackle with electricity. Misty looked at Ben  
"Should you do something?" she asked.  
"Watch." Pikachu let loose a bolt of electricity, but Growlithe jumped, flipped, and landed behind Pikachu. The bolt hit the ground harmlessly.  
"Wow! That was incredible!" Misty cried. Ash jumped up.  
"You're a Pokemon Trainer?" he asked.  
"I guess you could say so," Ben sighed.  
"Then I challenge you to a battle!" Ash cried.  
"You wouldn't last five seconds," Ben chuckled.  
"Wanna try me?" Ash asked.  
"You mean you want you're butt kicked? You're crazier than I thought. All right, then, three on three sound good?" Ben asked.  
"You got it!"  
  
"You ready?" Ben chuckled.  
"Ready!"  
"Go, Pidgeot!" Ben cried, letting his Pokeball fly.  
"Pidgeot?" Ash asked, pulling out his Pokedex.  
"Pidgeot. The Bird Pokemon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto. This Pokemon has sharp talons used for catching its prey from the ocean."  
"Hah. This'll be a snap. Pikachu! I choose you!"  
"Pika!"  
"Pidgeot, use your Toxic attack!" Ben asked. The Bird Pokemon launched the poisoned assault on Pikachu. Pikachu ran, but couldn't avoid it.  
"Toxic? Pidgeot can't learn that attack naturally!" Brock cried.  
"Ever hear of a Technical Machine? Koga gave me one," Ben smirked.  
"Pikachu is unable to continue the battle," Brock sighed.  
"Pikachu, return," Ash said, solemnly. He grabbed a Pokeball. " Squirtle! Go!"  
"Squirt, Squirtle!" the little turtle cried.  
"Pidgeot, return! Growlithe. You're up," Ben smiled. Growlithe barked.  
"Squirtle, use your Water Gun attack!" Ash ordered.  
"Growlithe, use Take Down!" Ben ordered. Growlithe hit the spray of water, rolled himself up into a ball, and tackled Squirtle, knocking Squirtle out of the battle field. Squirtle hopped back into the arena- Then fainted.  
"Squirtle is unable to battle," Brock called.  
"I still have one chance. Go, Charizard!" Ash cried. The giant lizard appeared out of his Pokeball, and was lying on its side.  
"You're joking, right? That's not even a challenge," Ben said.  
"C'mon, Charizard! Please!" Charizard looked at him with one eye, then flicked the Pokemon trainer away.  
"Charizard refuses to battle. The match goes to Ben," Brock sighed.  
"Charizard, return," Ash moaned.  
"Well. That was a waste of my time. I could have gotten the same kind of a work out at some dive," Ben sighed.  
"And to think he's got seven badges," Misty muttered.  
"Seven? Oh, brother. Oh well." Ben muttered something that none of the others caught.  
"I don't believe it," Ash murmured.  
"Ash, get over it. Every trainer loses every now and then," Ben said.  
"But... I..."  
"I told you that you wouldn't last long against me. But you insisted on battling. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a report to make," Ben said, "Let's go Growlithe." He turned and motioned for the puppy Pokemon to follow.  
"Wow, he was pretty impressive," Misty said.  
  
"James, that guy beat the twerp!"  
"And without breaking a sweat, either!"  
"You know what this means, don't you?" Jessie asked.  
"It means that we have to steal his Pokemon!" James cried.  
"And da chances of you two doin' dat is about da same as me becoming a Pokemon trainer," Meowth muttered.  
"What was that, Meowth?" Jessie growled.  
"Simply put, you two stink."  
"Hey, you're part of this team, too, Meowth!" James cried.  
"And dere ain't a day dat passes dat I don't regret it," Meowth sighed.  
"But think about it! If we steal even one of that trainer's Pokemon, it will put us back in the boss's good graces!" James cried. Meowth didn't seem to care.  
"You'll be his favorite again," Jessie said in a sing-song voice.  
"And maybe he'll even kick his Persian to the street," James added. Meowth gasped.  
"I'll be da top cat again?" Jessie and James nodded. "Den let's do it!" 


	2. Chapter 2

Jessie, James, and Meowth hurried down to follow the reporter.  
"Sheesh! Doesn't this guy ever take a water break?" Jessie murmured.  
"I don't know about him, but I could use one!" James moaned.  
"Quit your bellyachin', James! Dere! I see 'em!" Meowth cried, jumping on James's head and pointing.  
"Good job, Meowth!" Jessie cried. They ran to get to the burnt out husk of a building, just in time to be smacked in the face by the door to the local PokeMart opening.  
"Let's see, that's ten potions and twenty Pokeballs. I shouldn't have any trouble at Victory Road now," the female trainer said. Her sandy blonde hair was tied in a ponytail that trailed from under her red-and- orange Poke Ball bandana. She wore blue jeans and a pink tee with the bottom half wrapped in a knot, revealing her navel. She had sparkling emerald eyes. As she closed the door, she saw Team Rocket, lying on the ground.  
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Are you all right?"  
"Oh, look at the pretty Pidgey," James muttered, and then passed out.  
"Oh boy. Help! These people need some medical help!" she cried.  
"That might be a bit overboard. Trust me, getting hit by the door of a PokeMart is nothing compared to some other things I've been hit by," said a voice. Turning, she saw Ben.  
"You sure?" she asked hesitantly.  
"Yeah. I- Hey. I don't know about medics, but I think we need to find Officer Jenny," Ben said.  
"Huh?"  
"Their outfits. They're Team Rocket members, class B. That must mean they've stolen a few powerful Pokemon," Ben said. Growlithe let out a low growl, which woke Meowth up.  
"Huh? Gah! Get away from me, ya mangy puppy!" Meowth roared.  
"Since when do Meowth talk?" the girl asked.  
"Last time I checked, they don't. Growlithe, get ready," Ben ordered. Growlithe growled and barked. Jessie and James stirred.  
"Oh no. This is almost as bad as waking up to that twerp and his Pikachu," James moaned.  
"Hey, what's going on over there?" Officer Jenny cried. Jessie and James jumped up.  
"You win this time, but we'll be back!" Jessie cried. The three ran off.  
"What was that about?" the female trainer asked.  
"No clue. By the way, I'm Ben Oliver," Ben said, extending his hand.  
"Lindsey Morgan," she said, taking it. Jenny walked up.  
"What was going on over here?" she asked.  
"Team Rocket, ma'am. They were here, probably after some Pokemon," Ben said.  
"Let me see your Trainer's Licenses," Jenny said. Ben and Lindsey both pulled out their PokeDexs. Officer Jenny examined them both. "All right. You probably were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next time, leave matters of Team Rocket to the authorities," she said.  
"But we were about to go to you and-"  
"We understand, Officer Jenny. Sorry about this," Ben said, extending an arm across Lindsey's chest. Jenny nodded and walked away.  
"What was that for?" Lindsey asked.  
"In my experience, it isn't the best of ideas to argue with the law," Ben said.  
"And where'd you get this 'experience'?" Lindsey asked.  
"I've been a trainer for a few years now. Anyway, I've got a story to get to work on," Ben said.  
"Story?" Lindsey asked.  
"Yeah. You've seen the Burned Building, right?" Ben asked.  
"Of course. I was here training for the Indigo League when it had that explosion a few weeks back," Lindsey said.  
"Well, the CNS has asked me to go check the place out," Ben said.  
"Really? I've been trying to get a peak at the place for a while now. I'd pretty much given up and was going to head to the Indigo Stadium when you got here," Lindsey said.  
"Well, I suppose an extra pair of eyes couldn't hurt, so why not?" Ben said. The two headed toward the building, just as the civil defense sirens went off.  
"This is a state of emergency! All citizens and visitors to Cinnabar Island are to report to the nearest areas of shelter!" Officer Jenny's voice cried over the loudspeaker.  
"What's going on?" Lindsey asked, turning to Ben.  
"Not a clue. This is the first time anything like this has happened. C'mon. We gotta get to the Pokemon Center," Ben said.  
"Right."  
  
In the Pokemon Center, several trainers who weren't shocked about what had happened where speculating.  
"Maybe it's Team Rocket coming here to steal every Pokemon!"  
"Don't be stupid! Maybe the volcano's erupting!"  
"Oh no! We could all die!"  
"Maybe it's one of those Legendary Pokemon who are supposed to have created the land and sea!"  
"What do you think, Ben?" Lindsey asked.  
"I don't know. But I don't like it. I want some answers. Nurse Joy, do you know what's going on?" Ben asked.  
"No, I don't. I wish I did though. Attention, everybody! If you would like, I have some blankets in the back. We may have to stay here for a while!" Nurse Joy cried. At that moment, Ben noticed a familiar red and blue haired couple.  
"You two!" he hissed.  
"You!" Jessie said.  
"Hold it. Whatever's going on, why don't we all just chill. We aren't going to get any answers if you guys wind up fighting," Lindsey said.  
"Well, there's something that sounds right there," Jessie said.  
"Right. You two get to stay quiet, got it?" Ben said. Jessie growled.  
"If nothing else, don't let anyone know who you are," Lindsey said.  
"What's going on here, Officer Jenny?" someone cried. Ben, Lindsey, Jessie, and James turned and saw that Officer Jenny had entered the Pokemon Center.  
"A strange fog has appeared around Cinnabar Island, and several odd things have happened to Pokemon and trainers near the shore. Effective immediately, Cinnabar Island is under curfew. For your safety, we request you remain either here in the Pokemon Center or in the center of the island. If I find any of you outside of the boundaries I have set up, you will be spending the rest of the curfew at the Police Station!" Officer Jenny said.  
"What do you want to bet that the Burned Building is outside of the boundaries?" Ben muttered.  
"Sound like some pretty decent odds there," Lindsey said.  
"We are handing out maps of areas of the island you will be able to go to during this curfew. Also, after eight o'clock, you will have to be back in the Pokemon Center. The same punishment applies if I catch you around town after eight," Officer Jenny said. As soon as Ben got his map he located the Burned Building.  
"Just as I thought. Well, I always wondered what it was like breaking the law," Ben muttered.  
"What?" Lindsey asked.  
"I have to go to the Burned Building. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that the Burned Building is where all of this started," Ben said.  
"All right, you're crazy. But I'm going with you. You may need my help," Lindsey said.  
"Excuse me! Is that a Growlithe?" a girl called. The four turned and saw a girl with short blonde hair standing there, looking at Growlithe.  
"Yeah. What, you can't tell what Growlithe look like?" Ben asked.  
"It's just that most Growlithe I've seen have been either wild or just in battles. I've never seen one out of its Pokeball unless there's a battle going on," she said.  
"Who are you, anyway?" Lindsey asked.  
"The name's Domino and- Jessie? James?" she said, noticing the two Rocket members.  
"Uh, no, you must have us mistaken with someone else!" Jessie said, lowering her voice.  
"That's right! We're just two random, pointless Pokemon twerps- I mean trainers!" James said, raising the pitch of his voice.  
"That was peculiar," Lindsey muttered, referring to the pitch choices the Rocket members choose. By this time, all of the other trainers had filled out and Nurse Joy was in the back room, reading some beds.  
"Jessie, James, I am Agent Double-Oh-Nine!" Domino cried.  
"009?" Ben hissed, "I've heard of you. The Black Tulip. You're one of the top Team Rocket members. You're so high in the leader of Team Rocket's eyes that you could steal a Pokemon right from under his eyes, and he wouldn't notice for about a day."  
"Half a day. I've been tested," Domino chuckled.  
"What are you doing here, 009?" Jessie asked, meekly.  
"I'm here on the orders of the Boss himself. He's sent me here to investigate the disappearance of a lab of his here on Cinnabar Island. They were attempting to create a super Pokemon. And if you two trainers have half a brain, you'll be forgetting everything you're hearing. Team Rocket's reach is great enough to put the two of you in a convincing accident before you can tell anyone. Believe me. I know," Domino said.  
"The only problem with us 'forgetting' this stuff is that you're going to need us, 009," Ben said.  
"Really. How?"  
"You can't get around right now. Officer Jenny is going to be making patrols, and if she even thinks you're going to the Burned Building, you'll be in jail."  
"What makes you think that I'm going to the Burned Building?"  
"It's on the 'stay away' list, isn't it? It's the only place on Cinnabar Island that isn't easily accessible right now that would be of any interest," Ben said.  
"All right, so it was easy to figure it out. But you don't know why I want to go there."  
"It's simple enough. You want to get information on the Glitch Pokemon for your Boss," Ben said. Domino was knocked off balance.  
"How do you know about that?" she hissed.  
"The Glitch Pokemon? Come on, now, Domino. If I tell you everything, you won't take us with you and we'll sell you out to Officer Jenny. But if I keep my secrets while you keep yours, we'll both have reason to stay together. So. Are you coming along, or are you just going to leave?" Ben smiled.  
"Fine. Just remember who's in charge here," Domino said.  
"Funny. That was what I was going to tell you." 


End file.
